Reflect
by cassirycake
Summary: He watched her and he saw himself. AUish. Darkish. MadaSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**Slight AU. **

**Please keep in mind that this is the prologue, and is pretty much just an extended summary, I'm still writing out the rest of this story and I really do want to take my time and make this perfect.**

**This will be MadaraXxSakura. **

**There will be times when this story feels a little out of character. I apologise. Please review, give me ideas, anything. **

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He watched her, and he saw himself.

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"No!" Madara roared. He spun a roundhouse kick to the ninja that was charging him, sending him reeling into the tree line. "Sakura!" He dashed madly and blindly, dodging the projectiles that were sent his way. "Sakura!" He yelled again, even more ferociously.

She turned to him, long pink hair matted with blood. Her eyes wide, and blood dripping down the corner of her mouth. She looked so shocked. She was hurt. Badly._ Fatally_. His eyes flashed the deadly red of his sharingan, he willed them back to black, but the sharingan was dominant.

He was angry. He was beyond that, he was full of rage. This was _his _blossom and she was dying.

The battlefield stilled. Everyone was silent. They watched the two ex-Konoha nin with unsure eyes.

Madara reached out as soon as he was close enough, snatching her by the wrist and ripping her body to his as close as he could. He wound his arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders, he held her against him as tightly as possible without hurting her.

She wrapped her bloodied arms around him in return, "I'm not ready to go just yet." She coughed and he felt the warmth of her blood leaving her body.

"SAKURA!" Naruto screamed from across the ruins of the battlefield. Kakashi flashed to him and held him back with all his strength. "Let her go, you bastard! She was never meant for you! She wasn't meant to leave! You poisoned her!" He accused.

The Uchiha's head snapped in the direction of the Kyuubi container. His eyes a deadly red, and they could all _feel_ the murderous intent flowing from the man. His chakra poured out in waves around him. Deep purple and black, it sharpened into a solid thick line before slamming down on the area the mere _boy_ stood.

Madara wasn't even trying to hit him, he just wanted as much distance as he could put between them and that filthy container. Sakura was his, and she came willingly.

"Madara -" She called weakly, she tilted her head back so she could look up at him. She smiled, true and bright. She was happy. How could she be happy at a time like this? All of his control was thrown to the wind, all of his patience and sanity diminished. She was the only person in this world that could ever rip away the carefully placed walls around him.

"Shh. You will be fine," He spoke slowly. Battle be damned. He would get revenge later._ They_ would get revenge later. She was his, and she came first. No matter the cost. He may have been an Uchiha that thirsted for bloodshed and battle, but she was Sakura and her life would always come before anything of his.

Shakily, she reached a pale hand to his face and brushed away his inky locks. She stood on the tips of her toes and placed a soft kiss to his jaw line. His mind was still racing. Nevertheless, he scooped her up carefully, one arm under her knees, the other behind her back. Her head fell softly against his broad chest, her eyes starting to close. He gently placed a kiss to her lips before turning his back to the enemy.

And just as he was about to jump -

"Wait!" An authoritative, feminine voice screamed. It echoed through the forest. "Bring her to me, I can heal her!" Tsunade called, begged. There was loud whispering amongst the other ninja. Enemies or not, Sakura was her apprentice, she was practically her daughter for Gods sake! She loved her. At war, or not. Sakura would always hold a place in Tsunade's heart. She could only hope she still held a place in Sakura's.

He didn't even need to look back over his shoulder. He didn't need to direct the glare at them, because they all knew that it was there. They could _feel_ it. Red eyes fell back on Sakura's fragile form. They softened.

"You did this to her," His tone was full of hate. It was black. "I will not let my wife die," He paused, a smirk on his lips before he turned around to take in the shocked faces of the Konoha nin.

"Your wife?!" Sasuke snarled. Red met red. Uchiha against Uchiha. How he despised that he was related to this thing.

Madara didn't even completely turn away from them, before he and Sakura were gone.

He was going to save his wife, damn it.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Note: This chapter is just a little back story to how Madara and Sakura meet.**

**I have been working on this for eight hours, with a crying baby. Not to mention there is a heatwave today. So please be kind, and if you find any errors, let me know. I'd like to do you all proud and write a good MadaraSakura story. There is not enough on this site, and I adore the pairing.**

**MadaraSakura pairing.**

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_It all started as a chance meeting._

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He was only here to gather information on the village. To see their weaknesses and exploit them later. It was a slow, delicate process. But Madara Uchiha was a patient man. He would plan this all down to the most specific detail, plan every possible outcome. He would not fail in his mission.

"Look at that ugly hair color! Freak!"

"No wonder you're an orphan! Who would want you?"

The raven haired male heard the taunts of the children. Curiosity ghosted through him. Rounding the corner, he stood to the side of a thick tree. A glare set on his pale features as he observed a group of eight children standing around a small pink haired child.

"Loser! Why don't you die? Just go away!"

Madara's eyes locked onto the small quivering form. Not quite knowing what had possessed him to take a step forward, he slipped his mask over his face. He began walking towards the children soundlessly, with every intent of scaring them away.

"Demon! Monster!" The children relentlessly threw more horrid names. A low growl escaped his throat, his teeth grinding together in irritation. Ignorant, naive children. How he hated them. Humanity in itself was a disgrace. He stood more than ten feet away from them, but he was still as threatening as ever.

"Leave." His deep voice commanded, silent threats dripping from the one word. The children jumped, shoulders immediately tensing and shaking. They slowly turned their bodies to face the masked man. With wide eyes, they stumbled over words, claiming nothing was wrong and the girl was a monster, before turning sharply on their heels and obeying his command, never looking back for a second. He turned his gaze back towards the small girl, his eyes slightly widened in surprise when he noticed her eyes narrowed in a deep set glare, directed at him. He smirked behind the mask. This was unexpected. "Are you alright, little one?" His voice was soft, but still somewhat guarded.

"Why?" Her voice was filled with rage, fists balled at her sides and shaking slightly. She was definitely interesting. He had expected her to turn and run with her bullies. Even grown men would fear for their lives and run when they caught sight of him. "I didn't need your help." She hissed through gritted teeth.

He had to admit, this girl stunned him a little. By her appearance, he would have guessed her to be soft and gentle. Yet here she stood, glaring and hissing at the Uchiha as if he were nothing but a pest. He almost smiled. She stalked towards him, eyes never leaving his masked face, a killing intent surrounding her tiny frame. His smile widened. This child was really something. She came to a stop, a few feet away from him. He raised a curious eyebrow. "Take off your mask." She demanded.

"Charming," He started sarcastically. He was curious, and a part of him almost wanted to take his mask off just to see her intentions. Perhaps she would try to gouge his eyes out, or shred his face to ribbons. Sending a tiny flare of chakra out, he searched for any presences that could be hidden within the forest. He really had nothing to lose, no one was here. If anything were to go wrong, he could simply kill the child before she could even make a sound and have her body disposed off. "As you wish."

She watched as he slowly pulled his mask completely from his face. Long, dark locks settled against his back and jaggedly spiked out to defy gravity, his bangs falling over his right eye and almost covering the entire side of his face. Pitch black eyes held an amused spark as he stared at the child before him. High cheek bones and a strong jawline framed his face giving him an elegant almost royal look. His mouth set in an almost smile. He looked at the child expectantly.

Forcing her eyes shut, she bowed lowly toward him. "Thank you." She bit out sourly. Now his mouth flickered to a full smile, this child was full of surprises. She stayed in her bowing position until he finally spoke.

"You're welcome." The words left his mouth slowly, as she rose from her position to straighten herself out. He saw the hate in her eyes. He saw the fear. But most of all, Madara could see the loneliness and betrayal that seemed to be written on her face. He held out his hand to her, "Come with me, Little One."

He knew from that moment. She held his gaze, not once breaking it. She did not turn to look back, she did not hesitate. Closing the distance between them, she took hold of his hand.

"You wouldn't question a stranger?" He asked, a slight mocking edge to his voice. Tilting his head to look down at her, she shrugged her shoulders. Her hand stayed firmly placed in his. He almost could have laughed at how quick she was to trust him. But he was also pleased at her willingness.

"Why would I?" She began, her eyes narrowed and dropped to the ground. "If you wanted to hurt me you would have. You made the bad people go away," Her voice was barely above a whisper now. "For now." She whispered the last part under her breath, but his keen ears picked up on it.

He didn't feel sympathy for the girl, but he could relate to her. She was alone. He was speaking before he even realized, "Why do they hurt you?" He looked toward her again, and this time she stopped. Squeezing her eyes closed, she balled her fists.

"I'm a monster." She bit out harshly. Raising a curious eyebrow at her, he motioned for her to continue. "I don't have any friends. I don't have any family. My hair is pink. They hurt me because I'm different." She looked up into Madara's now red and black eyes. He paused mid-stride, kneeling down to the girl in front of him. With feather light fingers, he brushed her bangs to the side. He blinked, and his eyes were black again.

It had been a very long time since Madara had someone to protect. He had not cared for a person since Izuna had died in his arms. But from this moment on, he knew he had someone to protect. It was like something clicked in his head. He couldn't ignore it.

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"Will you take me away?" She asked hopefully.

"No."

"Oh." She sounded hurt.

"But I will train you," She looked up with hopeful eyes, widened in disbelief. "In six years I will free you from this village, shall you wish it. It is not safe to do yet." He couldn't risk bringing her on his missions. He still had to put things in motion.

She was quiet for a few moments before she was struck with a confused look, "How will you train me if I can't come with you?"

His lips tilted upward. Getting to his feet again, he turned back toward the village. "I will come to you, Little One." He looked over to see her smiling face.

Looking toward the setting sky, Sakura's stomach let out a mewl. "Will you come get dinner with me?" She asked shyly. Madara smirked.

"Of course, hime."

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	3. Chapter 3

**Note: _Hisao_ translates to _'Long Lived_' or _'Long Lived Man'_ in Japanese (according to google anyway.) _Tajima_ is Madara's father's name. So that explains the little persona he undertakes.**

**Also, after this chapter there will be a bit of a time skip, and the chapters will be longer.**

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_Shadows_

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Fairy-tales were nice. Fairy-tales give a sense of hope, that there's always a light in the world. Always good. But wherever there is light, there is a shadow.

_Darkness._

Sakura never had much hope. Her father was killed when her mother was four months pregnant. He was on a mission to the Land of Snow, his team ambushed by the enemy before they had even made it to the border. The mission was supposedly a C-Rank. The clients not telling the Hokage that there would be assassins all over the road. No one came back alive.

Her mother gave birth to Sakura, but fell severely depressed. When Sakura was five years old, her mother took her own life. The little pinkette stumbled across her mother's body in the bathtub full of water, stained pink.

The children bullied her, she had no parents. No family. No one was willing to make friends with her. The rumors spun quickly around the village, each small Chinese whisper twisting and adding to the story. _'She was a demon who could never wash the blood of her victims from her hair, the Gods themselves cursed her. To show everyone she was tainted.'_

No one looked at her and saw the little girl, all alone in the world.

She was nothing but a shadow in this village.

Until a dark man grasped her hand and pulled her from the void.

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Madara cast a simple henge jutsu, taking on the form of his fourteen year old self. His pale face was not quite as narrow, his cheek bones not as prominent. His raven colored locks shorter, just brushing against his shoulder blades. He was a good foot and a half shorter than his original height. His dark blue civillian clothes allowing him to blend in to the_ filth_ that was Konoha. He walked with the small ten year old, her hand clutching at his desperately when she felt the many eyes on her.

_"Who is that?"_

_"Does he know she's a monster?"_

_"What is he thinking?"_

Madara glanced down to the trembling girl, her eyes trained to the ground. Raising his head to look into the direction of the curious stares, his eyes steeled. The intense killing aura surrounding him like a barrier to push the vile beings away. Quickly, they scattered.

"Hold your head high." He demanded. Sakura jolted, eyes snapping towards him. Madara walked tall, his shoulders squared, and his back straight. "Don't let them see they hurt you." The rosette nodded and quickly mimicked his pose, not needing anymore instructions. She straightened her back, her head looking straight forward. Madara glanced down to her, a small flicker of a smile on his face.

They walked into a Tea shop after another few minutes of silence. The keeper looked hesitant before approaching the table and taking their orders. He all but sprinted away into the backroom. Madara wanted to sneer. He had to push the deep growl down the back of his throat. He was disgusted at how poorly the entire village could treat such a small child. Things like this would not happen when he was in control of the world. Everyone would be happy.

There would be eternal peace.

Sakura nervously swirled her jasmine tea, looking into her reflection in the liquid. Madara watched her closely, sipping his own green tea. "Do you attend the Academy?" He asked, breaking the silence. Sakura looked somewhat relieved the quiet atmosphere diminished. A part of her had expected him to leave her before they even got through the village gates.

"Yes, but I don't like it. Even the teachers are mean." She cast her eyes downward, before remembering Madara's earlier words. Quickly, she straightened her back and looked him dead in the eye. His lips tilted up and he nodded, indicating she had done the right thing. Feeling a surge of courage, she spoke again. "Why do I have to wait so long before coming with you?"

He almost sighed. He didn't want to outright tell the child that he had formed an S-Class criminal organization. Something he was still slowly adding to. "I want you to make the right decision," He started after a moment of thinking through his words. "I don't want you to throw yourself to the first person who offers you support and guidance. When you're older you will be able to think more independently." That, and it would be great having someone on the inside of Konoha.

Silence overcame them again as Sakura was deep in thought. Madara watched the emotions flicker over her face. Confusion, hope, anxiety, relief. Happiness.

Placing some Ryo on the counter, Madara stood. Sakura quickly dashed after him. "Thank you, for paying." She smiled up at him brightly. He glanced down, nodding in response, a small smirk on the corner of his lips. Excitedly, she clasped the older man's hand and dragged him in the direction of her home. Truth be told, he could follow her scent there. She smelled strongly of strawberries and cinnamon. The dark haired man found it rather odd, the scent. It was a strange blend, but it was calming. It made him relax.

Scrambling up her doorstep, Sakura all but ripped the door from it's hinges in her excitement to show Madara her home. Said man had a look of almost disgust across his handsome features.

Her 'house' was only classed as such due to it having four walls and a roof. It was falling apart. He shook his head. Even his camping set up was more waterproof than this house. Gods, a lake was probably more waterproof than this. The wood was rotting slowly, the windows held multiple cracks, the roof was patchy.

He raised his hand. "Pack your things, hime. Only pack what is essential." Sakura turned abruptly on her heels to face him, confusion written all over her face. "I will return soon." He turned, and left, inky locks swaying with each step he took.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, ignoring the pang of loneliness, and walked back inside to gather her things.

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Not even an hour later, Madara returned. "Are you ready?" He asked, looking down to the single backpack the girl had slung over her shoulder. Surely that wasn't all her belongings. She eagerly nodded her head. Suppressing the urge to shrug, he extended his hand toward the child. Sakura beamed happily, before jumping from her door, skipping over the three stairs. Madara quickly braced himself when he realised she wasn't going for her hand. With a pace that only a ninja would have, he raised his arms and stepped forward to catch the pinkette that was currently _flying_.

She beamed even more when he caught her, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. Her smile was infectious, and the usually stoic Uchiha himself couldn't help the tugging he felt at his own mouth. Very gently, he placed her back on the ground. She was odd. It was like a breath of fresh air. It had been so long since he had human contact. At least, the type of contact that didn't leave people dead.

"Where are we going, Madara-sensei?" She asked quietly. She may have been ten, but she knew that they were completely alone. Madara had been talking to her quite freely.

"You will see soon, Little Blossom." He promised. She huffed, but nodded nonetheless.

After walking for another fifteen minutes, Sakura tugged on Madara's sleeve. "Ne, sensei, are we there yet?"She asked, pouting. She adjusted the bag on her back uncomfortably. She only packed what she absolutely needed, but it was still heavy. The Uchiha, noticing her discomfort and slight struggle, reached over and plucked the bag from her shoulder. "Hey!" She squeaked.

"You're struggling." He stated, swinging the bag over his back and holding it firmly in place with his left hand. Sakura darted to his right.

"I need to get stronger!" She protested. Madara nodded in agreement. But he would not start her training until tomorrow, and he informed her so.

Sakura walked alongside the Uchiha happily. It had been a long time since she felt content. Still, she could feel the eyes of the adults and children on her as she and her sensei walked past, but she flatly ignored them. She walked with her head held high, her shoulders squared. She felt tall, despite her severe lack of height. She locked her eyes forward, a small smile painted on her lips.

Madara watched her out of the corner of his eye, a sense of pride surged through his chest.

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"You got me a new house?!" The small pinkette almost screamed. Madara looked down at her, the amusement clearly dancing in his dark orbs. He nodded once, before handing her the key. "How?"

Simply threatening the man would have been simple enough, but given the fact he was currently in his fourteen year old self's skin, some of the intimidation factor may have been subtracted from him. Although, he was an Uchiha. A former clan head, to be more specific. He supposed it didn't really matter how old he looked, he could tell these peasants to jump off the Hokage Monument, and they would more than likely obey.

But, again, he did not want to draw attention to his presence here in the Leaf Village. So he had cast a genjutsu over the previous owner of the modest home, signing over the rights to _'Hisao Tajima'_, the persona he would create for himself while in the village. Shrugging once, he paused at the door as Sakura fumbled with the key, before she once again, practically slammed the poor thing from it's hinges.

"There's so much space! Everything looks so pretty," She spun in a slow circle. Her arms wide, taking in the living space that was now hers. She didn't know where she would be without this kind stranger. Madara had shown her more kindness in one short day than she had ever seen in her entire life.

Slipping off her sandals in the small foyer, Sakura took a step forward into the living room. The walls were painted a soft blue, an elegant red carpet lay under an oak coffee table. A large, soft looking couch was flanked by two soft chairs that looked like they could easily sit two people at the same time. The kitchen itself looked new, the basic necessities overflowing her kitchen. Sakura found vegetables, fruit and rice on her bench. The Uchiha did not take this lightly, he was going to go to the extremes for this girl.

The house came with three bedroom, all with their own bathroom attached. In each room was a double bed, decorated with a beautiful bedspread.

Madara was not going to let her have anything but the best.

"Madara-sensei?" Said man looked down at the small pink child. He raised an elegant eyebrow. "Thank you," She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. "For everything."

Madara patted her head softly, but his venemous eyes looked ahead.

He would make sure this village would pay for hurting his hime so badly.

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	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry for my lack of updates you beautiful humans, my son has just started teething, and I could pour out a million excuses and beg for your forgiveness, but please just know I've been quite stressed out. I'm very sorry for the delay, I hope you can forgive me and enjoy this chapter :)

Please know that I haven't watched / read Naruto in a long time, I just read a lot of fanfiction these days. So my story will NOT follow along the lines, but it will still kind of, if that makes sense. Basically, things are pretty much following the timeline, but they will happen my way because it takes far too long to research, and I'm only writing when my darling son isn't screaming my head off. Teething is horrible my beauties.

Enjoy!

**Edit:** This is a **two year time skip**, Sakura is now 12. In the previous chapter she was 10.

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_"Madara?"_

_"Hn?"_

_"Why do we live?"_

_"What do you mean by that, hime?"_

_A small, sad smile. Tiny fists crushed into a ball._

_"We as humans... We are temporary. We're dying from our first breath."_

_Rustling. A large, strong hand gently gripping a small, fragile one._

_"Hime, even though we will one day.. expire," A pause, as he too has a small sad smile resting on his sharp features. She will never cease to exist in his mind. "We must make our days count. As ninja, our days are numbered. The more powerful we become, the bigger the target painted on our backs. But I can promise you this; I will protect you until my very last breath, and I will even continue to protect you from beyond my grave."_

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**Chapter** **F** O U R

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Nothing could be heard throughout the small apartment. Nothing but the soft, barely there sound of hair being gently brushed and tangled between fingers. A large dark haired male elegantly draped over the couch. A small, pink haired girl of twelve lay with her head in his lap as his fingers brushed through her light locks.

The Uchiha had previously been away from their home for the last month, scouting potential members for his organization. Returning to his young apprentice was a welcoming feeling.

Where other people would cower in fear and readily run for their lives at the mere mention of his name, she would damn near take the door off its hinges in her rampage to get to him, dive into his waiting arms and scold him for taking so long.

"Have you found anyone yet? Or is that Pein guy and Paper Girl all you got?" Sakura asked sleepily, bright eyes slowly blinking closed. Madara suppressed a smile. If only Konoha knew that for the past two years he had been able to come and go as he pleased from their 'well protected' village. The things he did for this child.

"There's also Itachi," He reminded her. She smiled, and he felt his chest tighten. Closing his eyes, he looked away. She was far too fond of Itachi. With only a five year age gap, they could converse for hours on end. "Has he been checking in on you?" Even if he could be a pest, he would follow Madara into death, the elder Uchiha knew that Sakura was in safe hands when it came to Itachi.

She nodded, a bright smile covering her lips. "That boy has a serious addiction to dango," Then the smile fell from her face, and once again, Madara's chest gripped tightly. "I was placed on his brothers Genin team." She admitted. The teams were announced only few days after Madara's departure, and Sakura had, for the first time, dreaded talking to her sensei about something.

He gave no visible reaction, but she was trained by a man of legend, her hearing was keen, and the pinkette could hear his heart beat change patterns. Itachi could not be distracted when he was not here to watch his hime, there had been too many times that he had come home to find her covered in cuts and bruises. That was one of the reasons why Madara had made it Itachi's mission to guard the small child in his absence.

The other reasons being far too selfish to admit.

"Madara?" A sleepy, curious voice cut through the silence.

"Yes, hime?" Delicately twirling a long lock of petal hair through his gloved fingers, his voice remained strong, yet soft. A tone, she had noticed, reserved only for her. It made her feel safe.

"Can you stay longer this time? I've missed you." Slowly, he tilted his head to look down at the tired girl resting in his lap. He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it before a smile pulled over his lips. She had fallen asleep already.

Gently, softly, carefully he picked her up in his arms. "I've missed you too, hime." Pressing a kiss to her temple, he soundlessly carried his very world to her bedroom.

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It was nothing at first. Even if it was anything, _and it wasn't,_ it was small.

But she had been changing. She had been growing. She was maturing, and Madara cursed himself for paying more attention than he should.

She was twelve - twelve, for Gods sake - he cursed himself to the depths of hell for having these thoughts. He had to remind himself she was still a child, no matter how mature she was.

Love was never a good thing for Uchiha's anyway.

He had found her, two and a half years ago. He had made her the center of his universe without any sign of hesitation. He, the Legendary Uchiha Madara had just as quickly thrown himself into the dark, unknown depths of trust as quickly as she, a ten year old girl had.

He could have cringed. Instead, he sighed.

It could have been a trap, he attempted to scold himself. He should not have trusted her so quickly, he should not have jumped to her aid so readily and he definitely should have not have let it go this far.

But he would not change it. Not for anything, nor anyone.

He would kill anyone who dare try to create space between them.

Sakura was under his protection, for now and forever.

She was his.

There was no two ways about it.

But what was it about her? He just couldn't fathom it, she just called to him. He saw her, and no one else. He saw her, and not the messed up world he was trapped in.

He saw her and he thought - _mine._

Nothing would ever take her away from him.

He saw her, abandoned. He saw her left behind by her people.

Every time he looked at her, every time he looked in her eyes, he could see the hurt, the betrayal.

Madara watched his hime, and he saw himself. Alone and afraid.

There was no way she would ever feel like that again.

He swore it.

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